Rule Breakers
by DarklyDreamingLupin
Summary: Hopefully not your typical SxF fic! Spike's back on the Bebop figuring out his feelings about still being alive and a few other things. Faye's not so lovesick in my story, but holding her own, meanwhile life goes on. Don't worry they'll be together eventually! IDK if anyone is reading CB fic in 2018 but I still love these characters and hope to do them justice. Please r and r!
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! This is my stab at the 'Spike's miraculously alive and back on the Bebop, let's see him and Faye finally get together' story. I hope that it stands out from the crowd. I'm going to try and do it a bit differently than I've seen it done, while containing some of the same elements. I don't want it to be too sad, but I also don't want to just blow over Spike's suffering, or Faye's. I'm also going to try to stay in Spike's POV as much as possible more of a writing challenge. Italics is Spike's inner thoughts.

* * *

There are certain truths that Spike had lived his life by in the three years since the first time he had "died." Of course he wouldn't admit to anything as rigid as rules. 'Whatever happens, happens,' served well as a loose mantra that also had the added bonus of sounding pretty cool and mysterious, but he did have other guidelines. Each one he had crafted in response to lessons learned. Faye and Jet liked to call him hard headed, but Spike was in fact capable of adjusting behavior based on past mistakes. He didn't do it often to be sure, but he could if he wanted,  
 _And that's all that matters dammit._

Firstly, obviously, 'Don't get too attached.'

That one had been useful during the old days with Vicious. It was also obviously one he had broken for Julia, and they had paid dearly for his transgression. It felt strange calling those times 'the old days,' when it had only been three years ago. But the years since on the Bebop simultaneously felt like the longest, and shortest three years of his still young life. But when thinking of his reluctant teammates, Spike felt the memories he had made with them were like technicolor bursts of life in comparison to the shades of grey and sepia tones of his past memories of the Dragons. That's what Julia had been to him back then too. The bursting golden essence of all the lives he wished he could lead in the midst of an (in his opinion) ultimately meaningless and violent existence. But looking back now, even the wonderful memories he had with her, seemed to be fading slightly with the passage of time.  
 _Our time together had just been too brief that's all._  
She had been taken away from him when they finally might have had a chance...

He was getting side tracked.

Rule number two: 'Don't be a hero.'

Again slightly obvious, and interconnected to rule number one. If you don't get attached to folks, you're less likely to stick your neck out where it doesn't belong out of some misplaced desire to protect. This was the rule that his comrades had the most trouble with. It was also the rule Spike had most trouble with if he was being honest. Being the hero usually went hand in hand with some incredibly dangerous risk, and that made Spike feel _alive._ Or as close to it as he felt like he could get. Not to mention the little part of his soul, which he had previously believed to be dead, that still pushed him to do what was right… most of the time. This part of his soul had only ever caused trouble and pain. For example, sitting with that blind girl on Venus after her brother had gotten himself killed instead of cashing in on the worth of that plant. Or protecting ditzy waitresses from scummy men, while the Swordfish was being vandalized. Or saving Faye's life when she had foolishly gone after Mao's bounty. _Ok maybe that last one didn't quite count, but I saved her in the end didn't I?_ Spike tried to bury this part of himself because it held a tiny hope that working as a bounty hunter catching criminals might mean redemption for all of the chaos and violence he had caused with a song in his heart, Vicious at his side. That definitely wasn't in line with the rules.

But the big problem with playing the hero, especially if it was for selfish reasons, was that the people you saved had a nasty habit of reading into your actions, again back to rule one, getting attached. Before you knew it, others were risking their neck for _you_ , taking stupid chances you never asked them to. Saying things like, "I know you're a good man deep, deep down Spike," that was Jet one night, quite out of the blue over famous beefless bell peppers & beef.  
Or, "Spike-person should laugh more! Ed sees Spike-person's eyes getting crinkly like he wants to laugh," she scrunched her face up tightly to demonstrate said crinkles before continuing, "Ed likes when Bebop Bebop laughs, gaffs, giraffe!" Ed had talked at him, clinging to his leg one day when Jet and Faye were both out, then she was gone as quick as she had come in a fit of giggles and nonsense words, Ein close at her heels.

Or, and Spike hated that this was the instance that bothered him still, months after the fact; one evening a couple weeks after he had 'died' for the second time, Spike regained consciousness while Faye was changing one of his many bandages.  
Before he really knew what he was saying Spike rasped out dripping with sarcasm, "Back again, huh? Oh well. Thanks Faye. Gee I don't think I've ever told you that. How rude of me."

He wanted to hurt her. Hurt her and Jet for presuming they could save him. Spike had been expecting maybe another hit with a pillow, her screaming for him to do it himself, storming off God knows where, to leave him mercifully alone. The look she gave him instead was so full of conflict and emotion, Spike lowered his eyes, unable to meet the intensity of that gaze. Then he heard her chuckle, a dry humorless sound before she replied sweetly, "Yeah well, don't mention it. You'd do the same for me, right?"

Spike's body twitched involuntarily as if she had reopened the wound in his side, he didn't miss the sarcasm in her tone, but he found the courage to at least meet her eyes. What he saw was a resignation that struck him as not belonging on Faye's face. To her, Spike now was and always would be the heartless cipher of a man he projected himself to be, wandering around in a seemingly endless dream, caring for no one but his precious, now dead, fallen angel. It seemed Faye had finally resigned herself to that, after she had spent so long wishing for more from him. Spike had resigned _himself_ to it a long time ago. He was just a broken hearted fool who would probably go on loving the same woman forever. That fateful evening on the Bebop before his final showdown with Vicious, when Faye had pointed her gun at him, Spike had basically told her as much. He wasn't blind, even with one eye always looking to the past Spike could see the way Faye felt about him, though he couldn't understand it and had scarcely given her any reason to hope. He had been too flippant about dying once when that mad clown was after him, and Spike had seen the concern flash in her eyes before she reverted back to her "Poker Alice," tough chick facade. She had saved his life that night too, now that he remembered. Perhaps that could have been a new beginning for them, but back then all he wanted was to end the nightmare that had become his life once and for all, and Faye was an obstacle, nothing more. He had wanted her to forget him, and get out of his way, so he could move on to more important things.

So now that she did finally seem to believe his act, even if she was not content with it, had at least accepted it, why was it bothering him? He had gotten what he wanted right? Well not really, since Jet and Faye had dragged him back to life once again. Now that he was truly free of his past, the nightmare was over, he technically had the rest of his life to live however he wanted. A future he had never counted on or planned for. Spike felt ancient, like he had suffered enough for 3 lifetimes already, and waking up on the goddamned yellow couch yet again hadn't been what he was hoping for to say the least. His anger with his comrades for ignoring his wishes had simmered for a long time after that.

 _Yes, that's the uncertainty that's been bothering me, not the inner workings of that shrew Faye._

Now he was really getting side tracked.

Rule number three: 'Easy come, easy go.'

Ok maybe that one was more like a mantra, but it helped on those nights when the Bebop crew couldn't remember their last decent meal, and all their hard earned bounty money went into repairs or medical bills. Or when Spike caught sight of a tall blonde woman out in the street somewhere and he had to will his heart back into submission, because he really had watched Julia die this time. Or when Faye decided to swipe his money card and disappeared on one of her benders. But she hadn't done that since… since Spike had returned to the Bebop come to think of it. _Side tracked._ Or times like these after a botched job when Spike was feeling antsy and unusually pensive.

The problem with this rule was that things never really did feel like they came that easily for Spike. At least not the important things. They left easy alright, but did they come back? Survival stuff he could do in his sleep, fighting, stealing, fucking, sure that all was easy enough. He had survived the slums of Mars as a homeless orphan even before Mao Yenrai's invitation to join the Dragons. But love and friendship? Human connection? A sense of belonging? Or how about just a filling meal for once? Forget about it. Most of those things were illegal according to rules one and two anyway. Still, Spike felt his life on the Bebop should easier. Going after petty criminals for pocket change, sparring with Jet, bickering over food with Faye, with nothing but hunger pains and a broken heart to show for it; it was all too bothersome. Despite those sentiments, without the Red Dragon vendetta hanging over his head, Spike had settled into a sense of normalcy disturbingly quickly.

That's what the rules were supposed to prevent, and yet, Spike found himself back, part of the Bebop almost like he had never left.

Almost being the operative word. The biggest change was in Faye. She had helped treat Spike's life threatening injuries, even staying with him through the night sometimes during those first couple weeks to make sure that he really was breathing, though Spike didn't know that of course. Still, again, Spike wasn't a fool, quite the opposite despite his happy-go-lucky persona, and it didn't take long for him to notice the not so subtle differences in her behavior around him. After he had regained consciousness, she had delegated most of the medical chores back to Jet and took to disappearing into the bowels of the ship for hours at a time. It seemed she had a adopted a policy of avoidance when it came to Spike. Sometimes he could still bait her into a good yelling match about who ate the last of the food or who used all the hot water, but she rarely spoke to him at all anymore. The most he had heard her say since returning to the ship had been one night when Spike "accidentally" eavesdropped on a discussion between her and Jet on his way to the kitchen for a drink of water after many months of bed rest. Jet had been reprimanding her, but the obvious rapport between Faye and his old partner surprised Spike.

"You don't have to do this you know. The ISSP reward on the info about the last of the Red Dragons is still keeping us comfortable and afloat."

"I thought the Black Dog never unlatched his jaws from his chosen target," Faye shot back, but there was no malice in it at all. Spike even detected a mote of affection in her tone.  
He couldn't see them inside Jet's small Bonsai room without revealing himself, but he heard the sound of skin on skin and imagined Jet rubbing the back of his neck, picturing the halfway stern look on Jet's face perfectly. Spike had been on the receiving end of that look many times.

"Faye, come on, you know that's not what I mean. I don't need the stress of scraping another daredevil teammate off of the concrete bloody and broken is all. Besides I figured you wouldn't be one for the bullet holes. No amount of beauty rest can fix _those_ scars."

 _When had Jet and Faye developed such an easy relationship?  
_ Then Faye laughed. Really laughed, not just that grunt of acknowledgment that Spike always got from her nowadays. He had forgotten what her laugh sounded like, and found that he didn't hate it.

"Please, you know you don't have to worry about me. I may be heart broken like him, but I'm nowhere near as pig headed. And you're right, my body is a temple after all," Spike was only momentarily miffed at being referred to as heart broken and pig headed in the same sentence.  
And what did she have to be heartbroken about? _Oh, right. Me.  
_

Spike pictured her grin widen, revealing sharp canines shining with a predatory glow, before she continued,  
"We haven't had a good catch in months Jet. I'll just pop down to Earth, pick up the bounty, turn him in and pop right back! Quick and painless. Maybe I'm not at Mr. Perfect's level but it's a good opportunity, small fry embezzler with big time price tag. Gotta love those white collar criminals."

Jet paused before he replied, and when he did his voice was pitched much quieter so that Spike had to lean in to hear,  
"I just don't like not being able to back you up…"

She didn't skip a beat.

"Still don't trust me?"

"No, that's not it and you know it."

No reply from Faye, Spike heard Jet heave a sigh which bled into his next words,  
"Fine. Just… be careful," another pause, then with a great deal more mirth, "Spike is still out of commission, so I'm counting on you not to mess this up."

She hadn't messed up either, not even a little bit, which made Spike angry, though he knew it shouldn't. Faye the shrew bagged the bounty and made it back in time for that evening's Big Shot. She hadn't even rubbed it in his face, just transferred half or the bounty to Jet and warned the room at large about the fate of anyone who would disturb her post-bounty beauty rituals before waltzing off to her room. All this without so much as even glancing at Spike.  
 _Must be a fluke._

In the weeks and months that followed the two of them coexisted fine, but her policy of apathy towards him really ticked Spike off, though he had trouble identifying why at first. Eventually he came around to a rationalization that felt right; she had tried so hard to convince him to stay, saved his life against his wishes, and now she was just done with him?  
 _What the fuck? She couldn't be that fickle could she?_

But apparently she could be, as evidenced by Spike's current predicament. He began the evening on the yellow couch staring up at the spinning ceiling fan like any other number of evenings on the Bebop. They had just returned from their latest job, which was a fantastic failure. Jet had already chewed both of them out for being "insufferable hot heads."

"You two need to learn to rein in your tempers. Don't let every little thing bait you into acting recklessly and endangering the mission! Spike I know you've been just begging for a fight after being bed ridden so I guess I can't be too surprised… but Faye," and she straightened up jerkily like Jet was her drill sergeant, preparing herself for the worst. Jet surprised them both, but Spike especially, when instead of more lecturing, he just heaved another heavy sigh before putting his flesh and bone hand on Faye's bare shoulder in a comforting gesture.  
"I thought we were past this?"

"You really expect me to answer that here? Now?"

"No, I guess not," Jet shot a quick glance at Spike, followed by Faye, before they turned back to each other to share an infuriatingly silent, meaningful look.  
Spike might as well have been invisible in that that moment, Jet and Faye reminded of his presence only by that quick look. It pissed him off that they seemed to censor themselves after they remembered there was indeed a third person in the room. Faye had made a hasty exit after that, promising light heartedly not to spend more money than she had, to which Jet replied amiably, "That would be a first!" before he went to start fixing up the Swordfish. Damage that Faye had caused in anger with the Redtail no less. Spike caught Jet's metal arm before he managed to make it all the way out of the room.

"So that's it?" he demanded.

"What's it?" Jet replied, deadpan, removing Spikes hand from his arm.

"She just gets to bat her eyelashes at you and it's all hunky dory even though she cost us the bounty?"

"Yeah that is it Spike," Jet seemed to realize his tone had become overly stern because he sighed again, using his nickname to soften the blow of his words, "Look Spike-o, I thought you were smart enough to figure this out, but I guess I have to spell it out for you. You were bed ridden for 8 months eating up our food and fuel money with medical costs-"

"I didn't ask you to do that," Spike interrupted but Jet held up his hand in a tired gesture.

"I'm not asking for thanks, I know you had, maybe still have a death wish, but it's done now. You're alive. You came back again Mr. Tiger Cat, you're here with us now and can chose to be a part of this team or you can just survive keeping everyone at arms length," another sigh, "That's not even what I was trying to say. What I mean is, Faye held down the fort and basically provided for us for as long as she had to _without complaint_ while I fixed up your ship _AND_ the Bebop. After the Red Dragons who were after _you_ shot us up I might add. She was doing just fine before you insisted on getting back in on the action, so maybe you should think about your own part in this whole equation before you go questioning the integrity of someone who sat by your bedside day and night."

"Tch, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were falling for her," Spike spat out, mostly for lack of something else to say.

Jet merely shook his head with a "Whatever Spike, I tried," before he followed Faye's previous exit towards the hangar.

Now hours later Spike was still going over that conversation in his mind laying on the yellow couch, trying to figure out what the fuck he had done that was so wrong.  
Ok, maybe "questioning her integrity," the euphemism Jet had used for Spike accusing Faye of being a "dumb bimbo too busy with hearts in your eyes throwing your tits around at the first guy you see to pay attention," in the middle of a fire fight over the comm wasn't exactly the classiest move. She had gotten a little too into her role trying to seduce information out of some poor sap and missed their target slipping out the back exit, a mistake to be sure, but not so fatal as to inspire such rancor from Spike. When he tried to look at it from Jet's perspective now, maybe he could see how he had erred in more ways than one.  
Picking the fight and resorting to name calling had been immature, but it also had distracted both Faye and Spike, keeping them from chasing after the bounty. The Swordfish could have overtaken the guy's ship easily, but in anger, Faye had whipped the Redtail around to face the red monoracer, not noticing she was still firing her machine gun. She had begun yelling profanities in response to Spike calling her a bimbo, when a stray bullet caught the Swordfish's fuel line. By the time Jet had caught up in the infinitely more sturdy but extremely slow Hammerhead, Faye and Spike were pointing fingers screaming their heads off and the bounty was long gone. But Spike didn't really _do_ guilt, so that wasn't bothering him as much as Jet's question to Faye. More and more he found he did not like the sound of that we.  
 _Since fucking when are Jet and Faye a we?  
_ Spike's logical mind knew there was probably nothing more intimate than friendship between his teammates and that it was only natural that they might start to get along better in Spike's absence and unconsciousness. He also knew that by "past this," Jet probably meant past letting Spike bait her into a fight especially on a job, but it also might refer to Faye's implied, but never really confirmed, romantic feelings for him.  
 _So she's over me huh? Didn't even get a pity fuck out of it._  
Something that he wasn't supposed to have a problem with according to rule number 1, but here he was, brooding. The 'insufferable hot head' inherent rule breaker part of Spike felt like a complete outsider in what was supposed to be his home.

Hence laying on the couch going over his rules over and over in his mind, attempting to silence aforementioned part of himself. That was when his woes truly began. Suddenly Faye's laugh rang out from the direction of the hangar, her real belly laugh, like the one Spike had only overheard that one time in the Bonsai Room.

 _What's she got to laugh about huh? She fucked up today just as much as I did._

Two sets of footsteps preceded the hiss of the door to the common area opening, and Spike sat up expecting Faye and Jet, preparing to ask what was so funny. He swallowed his words seeing Faye with her arm linked through not Jet's but a strange man's. Spike's face hardened into a deep scowl, but he managed to hold his tongue, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stood, turned his back on the pair and started heading for his room.

"What's your problem?" Faye's slightly slurred voice called out.

 _She's drunk._

That realization kept Spike from showing his honest to goodness surprise. This was the first time she had initiated any interaction with him since… since the time she had threatened him not to leave and he had come back with his guts on the outside rather than in, courtesy of Vicious. Why Spike knew that little tidbit he wasn't sure. Faye wasn't important enough to him that he had each interaction with her categorized and enshrined in his memory…

Partly to compensate for those decidedly unmanly thoughts, and partly because he could never resist rising to her taunts, against his better judgement, Spike halted and replied,  
"No problem. Just didn't think you'd be so quick to go out and prove me right, the way you almost shot me out of the sky this afternoon. Or are you so drunk that you can't remember?"

Faye took a couple steps toward him, pulling away from the mystery man, and Spike inwardly gloated. No matter that her face was screwed up in white knuckled fury.

"How could I forget?" Faye seemed to collect herself, and looked back over her shoulder at the other man, "I guess I should warn you Ben, you agreed to come home with a dumb bimbo who gives it up to anyone who shows her a bit of kindness. At least according to a certain scrawny lunkhead."

 _So his name is Ben, huh?_

Spike turned his unsettling mismatched glare on Ben and smiled.

"Benny boy, how'd you meet the Bebop's very own femme fatale? Did she swindle you blind at the casino like she did me?"

To his credit, if the man was intimidated, he didn't show it. He didn't even spare Spike a second glance, instead addressing only Faye.

 _What was with people treating me like I'm invisible lately? Didn't I used to be a mafia enforcer? Damn I really must be losing my edge..._

"My ship isn't far, we don't have to stay here. I chose to accompany you of my own free will because I liked you, I'm not so worried about what anyone else has to say about it."

The bastard smiled in a way that could only be described as charming, and Spike felt his own face slip back into a scowl. He quickly trained his expression and posture back to the essence of nonchalance and turned his back on Faye and her apparent date once more.  
Spike simply raised his hand in a half assed farewell as he began to walk away, "Whatever, not my problem what, or who you do as long as it's off the clock."

"You made it a problem this afternoon blowing up at me for no good reason! Ugh I'm not going to let you ruin the rest of my night Spiegel!"

And he heard her stomp back towards the man, Ben, as Spike continued on his way in the opposite direction, refusing to be baited again.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you everyone for the reviews, thank you so much! You guys are what kept me coming back to this story. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, life and school really just threw me a couple fast ones for a few weeks there and I had no time to work on stuff for pleasure.

I don't know if anyone is interested about the inspo behind this story. At least one of you asked if this is a "they both get S.O's and get jealous story," and it's not exactly that! The original inspiration was actually thinking of Faye jamming out listening to "New Rules" by Dua Lipa lol. (Especially the MRK Club Remix) Vowing to get over Spike, making rules to keep that vow, then breaking all those rules! But then I started writing and it just came out as a Spike POV story kind of naturally. Because I do think Spike has always been at least somewhat interested in Faye, though of course otherwise "committed." But admitting that would break all kind of rules for Spike so we'll see where that goes my dear readers!

M'wuah!

* * *

Spike had spent an embarrassingly long time continuing to brood over Faye and her new beau that night in his room.

 _Does she think I'm some schoolboy that she can make jealous? The way I acted this afternoon I guess she's not so far off..._

Maybe he had shown too many of his cards reacting so strongly to her flirting with that nobody at the bar. At the time he had honestly just been frustrated that she was distracted by yet another one of the loverboys that seemed to throw themselves at her feet wherever she went. She just attracted too much of the wrong kind of attention, when she was the one who should have been keeping one eye on their target at all times. It annoyed him. Never one for delicacy, he had voiced that opinion. He could see how perhaps, someone might read that as jealousy.

But Faye had gone above and beyond even fucking up the Swordfish. No, _she_ had actually brought home and paraded around Mr. prince charming Ben, who wasn't even intimidated by Spike. Where did she find this guy anyway? He didn't strike Spike as one of the regular low lifes or horndogs that flocked to worship at the temple that was Faye's body. (Just worshipping never guaranteed access of course) Spike had seen men literally kiss the ground Faye walked on, and while it was obvious to him she enjoyed the attention, at least to a certain degree, he had never seen her go home with any of them. She usually preferred to do the pursuing, it seemed. And she had caught herself a decent specimen this time, though Spike wasn't supposed to care… he couldn't help comparing. Ben had a tailored suit, that actually looked like it had been dry cleaned and pressed in the last month, as opposed to Spike's perpetually wrinkled one. He was well spoken and very tall with dark skin; his perfect white smile stood out against his darker features. Even Spike could see how most women would be dazzled by that warm smile.

 _Oh god… am I jealous?_

NO. No way.

Spike had more self-control than to let Faye play him like that. He wouldn't let himself be manipulated into wanting only what he couldn't have. He kicked off his boots with a little more force than necessary.

 _Rule no. 1 Spike-o. Don't get attached. Stop thinking about this…_.

But of course that didn't quite work out. The brooding continued as he peeled off the layers of his clothing, taking care to hang up his shirt for once on the metal rack next to his currently unused gun holsters and a couple spare undershirts. Besides the Jericho, his lighter, and the Swordfish these were his only worldly possessions. His old suit and trench coat had been completely ruined, and everything from before the Bebop had to be left behind during his escape from the Dragons. It was ok, Spike was used to being a 'only the clothes on his back' kinda guy. As long as he had good food.

He climbed unceremoniously into bed still thinking about Faye; his room was very spartan, there wasn't anywhere else to sit. The perhaps sexual connotation of thinking of a woman whilst laying in bed didn't even cross his mind.

 _You have no reason to be jealous because you never laid any kind of claim on her because you've never wanted her that way, remember?_

Spike lit a cigarette lazily, so ingrained was his habit now, that he subconsciously took care not to burn the sheets as he tossed and turned and smoked.  
If it was Faye's strategy to make Spike jealous in bringing Ben over, if it was indeed a strategy at all, then the whole idea banked on Spike's physical attraction to Faye at the very least.

It wasn't totally out of the realm of possibility. They were both good looking, young, adults of semi-sound mind. Saying that there was absolutely zero attraction there, even before he had "died," would be a lie. Spike could bend the rules to admit to that much, though it was difficult to precisely name the spark that existed between them. But Spike had never, ever, wanted to act on it, whatever it was. Always considering Faye more trouble than she was worth, he knew he would have had to keep one eye on her and the other on his wallet at all times. But the more Spike dwelled on the whole situation, clearing through some of his self righteous anger, the more he came to believe, in a sort of round about way, that it made him and Faye even.

He could further admit to being somewhat perversely jealous based on a _very_ superficial attraction to her because Spike felt the basis of Faye's initial attraction _to him_ might have come from a similar place of perversity. Wanting most desperately that which you cannot have. Not necessarily fertile ground for a loving and trusting relationship to grow, but what the fuck did Spike know about that anyway?

Spike felt safer assuming that he had probably been one of the first men she had met after waking from cryosleep who hadn't started drooling at her feet immediately upon meeting her. While he hadn't exactly liked her, he had never looked at her just as a sex object to become another notch on his metaphorical bed post either. Perhaps in turn, Faye had seen Spike at first as more of a challenge. He assumed Faye would still revel in taking him down a peg, to watch him, "Mr. Perfect," beg for her attention, but that her feelings had grown. Or at least that's the impression Spike had formed. She talked tough, but it was pretty obvious that under the surface Faye was a very lonely woman who had been robbed of any frame of reference, and was desperately searching for something. Belonging probably.

 _At least part of her once wished she could find that belonging with me. Not that long ago too. Hmph._

But now, what, suddenly she had this Ben guy, Spike had realized he wanted her all along?

No. No way he was that simple. He had just gotten used to the idea of Faye pining after him, that's all.

Still, he would have to do something about this. About himself.

 _He_ had been the one to blow up earlier that day for basically no reason. For what, because some stupid kid had been drooling over her tits? That happened all the time, why had Spike chosen to get upset over it now? Because even before she had brought home Ben, Spike could see that he was beginning to lose his pull over her. There was at least some part of his ego that had gotten tied up in that, in Faye's feelings for him, and that was a big no no. He would have to fall back hard on rule number one and sever those ties.

Rarely, so rarely that he felt like his brain had to be pretty traitorous to think of it now, when Spike really couldn't bear the idea of living through yet another day, he was comforted by thoughts of Faye. Her brute determination to keep him alive, even against his own wishes, meant at least one person saw something good in him. Alternatively, most of Spike "knew" that she had wasted her efforts, he was just the fucking shell of the person he used to be. That he could not be saved. When he was feeling particularly cruel, Spike felt that it served her right, and that she could go on pining for him forever as punishment for bringing him back. His power over her vis-a-vis her unrequited romantic feelings for him was like a drug that could distract him from his self-pity.

But Faye wasn't really culpable for anything except saving his life; she had made no real demands of him since then; so that meant that Spike should probably apologize. Especially if he wanted to stick to his story that he really didn't care who she spent her time with.

 _Guys who don't care who girls give their attention to don't do what I did. So I'll apologize because I flew off the handle for no reason during the job, if only to assert that I don't give a shit about her love life._

It was an ok plan Spike thought but, he _hated_ apologizing.

The next morning he stumbled toward the small kitchen, bleary eyed after a poor night's sleep. To his surprise Spike could smell coffee, and hear the sounds of someone making something, banging around pots and wooden spoons. Bebop folks tended not to be morning people in general. You were lucky if someone had bothered to clean out the coffee pot from yesterday so you could start a fresh one if you were the first one up.

However this morning, Spike walked into to the kitchen to find none other than Faye, who was positively glowing, whistling a happy tune over the stove. _Someone_ had gotten laid, that's for sure, and Prince Charming must have been a pretty good one too from the way she was flouncing around like Christmas had come early this year.

"Jesus Faye, tone it down a little bit for the rest of us poor suckers would you?" Despite his resolution to apologize, Spike couldn't help himself it seemed. She really was over the top, especially for so early in the morning.

"Oh Spike. Spike, Spike, Spike." She punctuated each time she said his name with a little shake of her head, but that was her whole reply. She didn't turn and look at him, just continued with whatever she was making. Eggs by the look of it.

"So, is he still here?"

"Who?"

 _Faye loves to play coy, that's for sure._

"You know who."

"No, he left earlier."

"So, who are you making the eggs for?"

She laughed a little, "Me!"

"Huh… and who's money paid for those eggs?"

She finally turned to face him, giving emphasis to her words by gesticulating with the wooden spoon.

"Oh no, you don't get to play _that_ card anymore cowboy. I paid for them with the money I brought in from my last solo job. So you can just wipe that smug look off your face."

"Whatever."

 _This is too much bother, screw it._

Spike would maybe try to apologize later, if he still felt like it. Right now it was too early and she was being a pain again. He moved efficiently across the room to grab a mug of coffee, then turned to leave. He didn't want to look at her and cursed himself for feeling slightly self-conscious about how much space he took up in the tiny kitchen, trying to give her a wide berth.

He heard her click the knob to turn off the burner on the stove then,

"Spike… wait."

Her tone stopped him in his tracks, and he turned slowly toward her, pulling out one of the stools they kept around to perch on. Spike arched his eyebrow over his coffee, when she did not immediately continue.

"Yes?" he prompted her.

"I'm sorry... I guess, Spike. I'm pissed that I've gotta be the bigger man and apologize first, but I want to get this off my chest so just listen. I'm sorry for picking a fight last night when I brought Ben back, and I'm sorry for damaging the Swordfish but," and she sighed deeply, looking pensively at the floor.

"But as you so kindly pointed out to me before you," she searched for the right word for a moment before she met his eyes, "left… we are nothing to each other. You have no ownership over me, or my time and who I chose to spend it with. I'm getting pretty sick of the patriarchal bullshit."

Here she backtracked slightly, "That's not to say I want to leave, or I don't think we can work together anymore. I do like you - and Jet. I'm grateful to be here, it was like pulling teeth, but you guys made a space for me in your home, however reluctantly. But… I like Ben too."

To Spike's dismay a creeping shy grin crossed her face as a light flush worked its way up to her cheekbones, like she was genuinely telling the truth. It made her look younger. Pretty even.

"I'm still pretty distrustful of it, but I'd like to see him again. So I hope you can - I mean _we_ can, not... fight about it."

Spike couldn't help but feel awkward in the face of her vulnerability. He could do the bickering, he could do the yelling, that kept the comfortable distance between them. But this? This was new. But isn't this what he had been brooding about last night? He wanted this? This is the closest she had ever come to explicitly admitting that she had ever felt any type of way about Spike. He thought they would never be able to talk so freely, even though her words also contained an inherent rejection.

 _ **Is** that even what I had been brooding about?_

All he did know was that now that he was here, he had no idea what to do. She had him all turned around, damnit. Spike wasn't exactly the poster boy for emotional intelligence or sensitivity. So he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from Faye for a second while he gathered his thoughts.

He started slowly, his sentences were stuttered and short, as he was still forming his ideas as he spoke; she had blown his planned half-assed apology out of the water.

"It's ok Faye. You shouldn't really be the one apologizing. I picked the fight first yesterday, it was stupid. And you're right. I don't have any say over what you do, and I don't want that responsibility anyway. I just… jesus I can't believe I'm saying this. I guess I just hope he's a… good guy," Spike finished lamely.

Faye's face went from good natured disbelief to a school girl's grin and she slugged him on the arm.

"Easy there cowboy! Ha! Maybe I will share some of my eggs, I really didn't think I was going to get an apology out of you."

Spike tried to regain some dignity, "I can still surprise people," he said somewhat indignantly.

"Oh we know that Spike. You're full of surprises. That was never, _never_ up for debate."

She scraped half of the scrambled eggs in the pan on a plate, and slid it over to Spike with chopsticks.

"Don't get any ideas, this isn't going to be a regular thing. But here."

The eggs actually looked pretty good too. They were golden and fluffy, nothing like the weird brown mushy things that Jet passed off for eggs. He took the first bite and his body thanked him for the real honest to god protein that wasn't from an instant ramen pack.

"Hey, these aren't bad. If I knew all it would take to get you to cook was a good lay, I would have-"

Spike cut himself off mid bite, fully realizing he may have wrecked whatever had just transpired between them. _Foot, meet my mouth. Get acquainted._

God must have been smiling down on him, or Prince Charming really had given her the best sex of her life last night, because Faye just laughed, grabbing her own plate and coffee leaving the kitchen presumably to have breakfast in bed.

"For that Spike, I'll let you take care of the dishes!"

Spike was full of surprises, but so, he was learning, was Faye.

The next few days passed in much the same way as time did on the Bebop before Ben's auspicious arrival. The only difference being that Faye did not actively avoid Spike anymore, and it seemed to have lifted a certain tension that had been hanging over everything. Spike wouldn't have even noticed it was there, if not for it's sudden absence.

Jet was waiting on a replacement part for the Swordfish, so they were currently docked on Mars between two actual fishing vessels in the port, and between jobs without much to do. However on the third day something interesting happened. Spike was going through his Jeet Kune Do routine, relishing in the hard work and the way sweat beaded at his forehead, when he heard the ringing of a comm and then felt rather than heard thundering footsteps running from across the ship, undoubtedly to catch the call in time.

Always the curious type, Spike grabbed his old shirt to towel away the sweat, and peeked out of the old control room that he used for his exercises. The hallway was empty, but he thought he heard Faye's excited voice coming from the bathroom, so he continued to investigate. As he made his way down the hallway, Faye's voice became louder, and when he turned a corner, Spike was stopped suddenly by Jet's bulky frame blocking the way.

Jet was standing with his arms crossed, leaning on one hallway wall, with his eyes closed in an expression of utmost calm. Only his occasionally twitching eyebrow belied his real feelings.

Through the bathroom door, Spike could make out the muffled noises of Faye's shrill voice. Made shriller because it seemed like she was speaking at least an octave higher than usual. Spike didn't catch the first part of what she had said, only heard,

"I would LOVE to Ben. You don't have to worry about me, I can mingle with the best of 'em. It'll be a treat just to get away from the smell of motor oil and old fishing boats. I'll have to dig out a dress!"

She paused, Spike assumed to listen to Ben's response before she continued swooning.

Spike, hoping to protect his eardrums from her voice that seemed to be getting higher and higher, put one finger in the ear that was closer to Faye. He gestured to the closed door with his free hand, grunting to get Jet's attention.

"What's going on?"

"I'm not certain other than _he_ must have called. I was about to walk in there to use the john and she blew past me. Like a teenager trying to get away from her parents. She could have gone to her room, but no."

Spike himself was actually having a pretty good time observing the current situation. Jet fit right into the paternal role, contrasting perfectly with the middle schooler Faye had turned into, at least when it came to all things Ben. Resulting in the slightly warped domestic scene unfolding before his eyes. If Spike felt like getting a good punch from Jet, he might have commented on it, but knowing just how powerful even Jet's human arm could be, he held his tongue.

Even Jet's patience had limits it seemed, though Spike's bemused gaze probably compounded things, and he stepped forward to start banging on the door.

"There's only ONE bathroom on this ship Faye!"

She opened the door and Jet almost fell bodily on top of her.

"Jeez Jet, no need to be so rude, I'm on a call."

She was holding the earpiece of the comm to her neck and covering the mouthpiece with one hand.

Jet looked like he might start spewing steam from his ears and Spike tried to contain his amusement, pretending to examine the pipes along the ceiling, for fear of that punch.

"Fine here, it's all yours," and Faye stepped forward gesturing to let Jet past.

Once the door had hissed closed Faye gave Spike a quick once over and mouthed, 'What do you want?' as she returned the comm to her ear, "Ben, you still there? Yes I'm sorry about that…" Spike shrugged and turned to leave, no need to hear this, when he heard his name.

"Spike? Yeah… he's here, why?" She paused to listen to something Ben was saying on the line, and Spike turned back toward her. Faye was looking at him too, and they made awkward eye contact. Her posturing suddenly didn't seem so confident, Ben had said something to her about Spike? She continued speaking into the comm turning away from him,

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, I'm sure you know somebody far more appropriate? - That's sweet…. I promise I'll ask ok? Ok, I'll wait to hear from you tomorrow, I can't wait! Bye~~~~"

She ended the call in such a breathy sing songy voice, Spike had to resist laughing. She sounded like she was trying to do an impersonation of one of those old Earth movie stars. He continued to look at her expectently as her entire demeanor changed from 'sexy school girl' to 'really pissed off woman,' the moment she hung up the call.

"Well, you're supposed to ask me something aren't you? Out with it."

Spike always was a 'rip the bandaid off' person. She turned to face him in the hallway again, exhaling slowly in an supposed attempt to calm herself.

"I'm supposed to ask you to a party."

Well _that_ certainly hadn't been what he was expecting and he let his surprise show.

"Why does Ben want _me_ to come to a party?"

"Well… Just hear me out, it kinda has to do with something I told him about you."

Spike began to glower, but he didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

"See last time he came over, when we fought in front of him? To smooth things over I kind of told him that you were strictly like a brother to me…"

"I'm beginning to get the impression you are about to ask me for a favor, Faye Valentine."

"Well it's not like it's a chore, you'll get free food and free booze! What more do you need?"

"What's the catch?"

"You have to be my _strictly platonic_ date to get in the door, because Ben already promised his Mother he would take his younger cousin, who is in town. But you'll charm her off her feet because you're _so charming_ , and then Ben and I can be together on a date because we are _dating_."

Spike had to take a second to think about how he wanted to respond,

"And Ben asked you to do this? To ask me?"

"Yes, he thinks it would be kind of like a double date and a good opportunity to get to know you, _my brotherly figure_ , and he would like very much for me to come even though he was technically already spoken for."

Spike doubted the integrity of Prince Charming's intentions. Just from that one meeting he had struck Spike as slightly more calculating. Spike suspected that Ben had perhaps seen through Faye's excuse of "brotherly love," and had wanted Spike to come to the party in order to sniff out his intentions towards Faye.

 _No need to go to so much trouble. She's all his._

"I don't have anything to wear."

"So you'll do it? You'll go?"

Faye bounded forward clutching her hands together in front of her heart, looking up at Spike with sparkling eyes. It made Spike itch uncomfortably.

"I haven't agreed…"

But Faye bowled over that,

"Oh I'm sure Ben could lend you a suit, you and he are pretty similar builds! I guess I have a type," and she slapped Spike's chest playfully.

"Oh so we've graduated to joking about it now? Good to know. And what makes you think I would want to wear one of Prince Charming's suits anyway?"

"Prince Charming?" Faye asked, delighted.

 _Shit._

That was Spike and now Jet's, private nickname for Ben, they'd never mentioned it to Faye.

"Yeah, well with the way he reduces you to a useless quivering pile of swooning mush it seemed appropriate."

Faye took the insult in stride, and considered Spike's explanation thoughtfully. She paused and then posed,

"You know you can do that too. Make girls swoon. I've seen you do it, it's like a switch you can flip on, and boom there's the patent Spiegel Smile guaranteed to get the info you need out of just about any woman with two eyes. It's just the same as me with the worthless men on all our jobs. Who knows, maybe you'll like this girl enough to take her home and get yourself laid and me and Jet won't have to deal with you moping around all the time?"

Faye smirked at him, but Spike felt like he could see some of her insecurity behind her words. Like she was grandstanding, to cover up that she probably still did care on some level who Spike slept with.

"You're a sweet talker Faye, but I still haven't agreed. I don't want to deal with some stupid chick, I don't care enough. And I know you don't really want me corrupting Ben's little cousin. That might ruin things for you with him. Sweeten the deal."

"Ugggghhhh. What do I have to do?"

She reacted without thinking, temper rising.

A little devil whispered in Spike's ear and a shit eating grin grew across his face.

"So you really want to go to this party?"

"Yes!"

"And you can't really go, unless I go too, right?"

"Right…"

"And so you'll do _anything_ to get me to go, because you _really_ like this guy right?"

"..."

Sure he would go to the party, he would gorge himself on rich people's food and drinks. If Ben wanted to confront him, maybe he could even get a little fun out of the evening. But he was also going to milk Faye for all she was worth.

 _What fun would there be without that?_

Faye seemed to realize that she had gotten herself in a little deeper than was comfortable, and took a half step back. Spike loomed, shirtless, looking down at her with a superior smirk.

"Faye, are you sure you want to ask me to do this? To put yourself in debt, _to me_?"

Commendably she didn't back down,

"You decide later what you want, I'm telling Ben you're coming."

She turned and began to march away, resolutely not looking back.

"You better believe I'm going to decide, and I'm going to collect my payment Romani, sooner rather than later, you won't be able to run from me so easily!" he called after her.

The bathroom door hissed open, slightly delayed behind the sound of the toilet flushing. Jet stepped out of the bathroom as casually as he could. Spike regarded him awkwardly, he had forgotten where he and Faye had been talking.

"So, going to a party huh?"

Now it was Spike's turn to bristle as Jet's bemusement.

"Yeah and what of it?"

"Nothing, just didn't think you'd agree so easy," he said lightly, but Jet patted Spike on the shoulder in a gesture that could only be read as pity as he passed by, leaving in the opposite direction as Faye had.

Spike didn't know how to feel about _that!_

He was firmly under control of the situation, wasn't he?


	3. Chapter 3

Hey hi hello wassup. Don't be mad at me. Hope you like it. Thank you again for the reviews. Some more notes at the end.

* * *

The night of the party approached far too quickly. Ben had called on Wednesday, sent a suit over for Spike on Thursday, and now it was already Friday, party night. Spike felt like what he imagined a little boy forced into a Sunday suit by his mother would feel like. He only had foggy memories of his real mother, so he'd never really experienced it himself, but the metaphor felt apt. He sat on the couch chain smoking, perverting the image of the little boy in his Sunday best quite thoroughly. With one hand fisted grabbing the excess fabric around the knees in this borrowed suit, Spike scowled and occasionally threw furtive glances in the direction of Faye's room. They agreed to meet in the living room at 8:00 to leave and be at the party by 8:30. It was currently 8:15, _of course she's late._ Spike wasn't on time either, but he was earlier than her, and had been waiting for at least 5 minutes. Jet sauntered in, supremely amused about a minute ago and was only exacerbating Spike's displeasure.

"She's going to give you shit if you end up wrinkling the suit grabbing at it like that," Jet just _had_ to comment while lighting his own cigarette.

Spike fought the urge to actually snarl at Jet, but that would be taking his rage out on the wrong person. No, the only person who had gotten Spike in this shitty situation, was himself. He had agreed to go to this party mostly resting on the assumption he could and would collect on some ridiculous form of payment from Faye. The more humiliating the better. Though it had seemed like a marvelously good idea at the time, Spike was now stewing in regret, feeling strangely empty and inadequate in a suit he could never afford.

 _I don't want to deal with lovesick Faye, I don't want to deal with any posturing from Ben, least of all I don't want to pretend to be interested in Ben's little cousin._

He was trying to comfort himself now with thoughts of the possible favors he could demand of Faye as payment, though none of them were sexual. No they mostly involved her making him breakfast in bed wearing a stupid frilly apron for a month, or scrubbing down the grime on the Swordfish with nothing but a toothbrush while he watched. O _kay maybe those do border on sexual fantasy. Can't really help it when her body looks like…_

He barely kept ahold of his cigarette fighting the urge to let his jaw drop, as Faye picked that exact moment to walk in wearing one of the most eye catching dresses Spike had ever seen. He had seen her in any number of skin tight and/or revealing outfits and had never felt much of anything about it. But when a woman you are literally on the edge of admitting you have sexual fantasies about walks in wearing _tha_ t, you can't help but reacting, at least a little. She had swapped out her usual yellow color palette for a gold dress that was simple, elegant and sexy all at once. Of course it showed a fair amount of cleavage, her breasts were near bursting out of the structured bodice top half of the dress, it still was Faye after all, but it was a great deal more subdued than her normal wardrobe. The dress seemed to be dripping off of her curves, and though the skirt of it was knee length, an appealing slit would appear exposing the creamy skin of her thigh whenever Faye moved because of the way the looser fabric of the dress' bottom half was wrapped and tied around her hips. Her lips were painted a deep crimson and her eyes seemed to glow an even brighter green than usual in contrast.

Spike should have made Jet knock on wood, because no sooner had Spike schooled his expression back into something more appropriate than slack jawed shock, had she appraised _his_ appearance with narrowed eyes and said, "Don't you dare wrinkle Ben's suit. You're lucky he smokes too, it wouldn't do to return it to him reeking if he didn't."

"Don't nag me," he replied, grouchily stubbing out his cigarette, standing and pointedly _not_ looking at Faye, "Are you finally ready to go? We haven't even left yet and I already wish I was back here."

The ride to the party was spent in uneventful silence. Faye had to drive them in the RedTail because the Swordfish was still grounded, and it was a tight squeeze fitting both of them in the cockpit. It took some serious maneuvering on Faye's part to mold her body around the controls, limited as her movement was from the tight dress and high heels. Spike spared a momentary empathetic thought for women at large, _Damn lucky I wasn't born a woman, I don't have to deal with any of that bullshit._

Spike would not admit to being afraid, but the knot in his stomach got tighter the closer they got to the venue. Watching through the windows as the slums slowly faded into the background, they were headed towards one of the richest areas on Mars, Spike's regret at ever agreeing to come intensified. This is not where he belonged, rubbing elbows with elitist pricks who have their private police forces to guard them from the unwashed masses. In his past Spike had only ever been allowed to tread in spaces like these because of his position as Mao's protege. Nowadays his appearance among these kinds of people most often meant that one of them got on the wrong side of the law and a big payday for the Bebop was right around the corner. For tonight, Spike could only hope that Faye would get distracted with Prince Charming and maybe he could slip out unnoticed.

Spike groaned internally, _We haven't even made it inside yet._

Faye parked her small craft on a landing pad near one of the grandest and largest properties Spike had ever seen. Seemingly eschewing typical Martian architecture, this estate, because it was an _estate_ , palatial almost, was modeled off buildings that Spike didn't know the names of, but had seen in old Earth history texts. It had a long green grass lawn, usually unheard of on the Red Planet; green meant water, which meant money in more ways than one. Various hedges were trimmed to look like different animals or space crafts. Spike disembarked from the RedTail first and he could see other party goers were meandering slowly up the long walkway through this green garden, stopping occasionally to take in the topiary, until they eventually reached the front steps where several colorful lamps were lit and service workers were waiting to take coats.

Spike was still taking this all in, trying to keep his face trained into cool nonchalance to avoid showing how much this display of wealth was simultaneously impressing and disgusting him, when Faye managed to climb down from the cockpit. She stumbled slightly and used Spike's elbow to catch herself, turning his full attention to her.

He raised one eyebrow slightly and cocked his head lazily toward the party as if to say, _Alright let's just get this over with_. For her part, the corner of Faye's mouth quirked upward ever so slightly as she straightened her posture and eyed Spike up and down. With a more pronounced smirk she reached up to neaten his collar and brushed some non-existent dust off of his lapel. Spike rolled his eyes and turned away to start walking to the party without her when she caught him by the elbow again. This time however she slipped her arm through the crook of his and fell into pace beside him. Spike had a vague memory of them playing at being a couple for a job before, but Faye had never let him so much as hold her hand. Not that he wanted to anyway… but this was… different. The soft light from the lamps that had come alive in the garden made Spike think of when he had first set eyes on Faye. They always keep it a little dim and smoky in casinos. He wasn't happy about being cheated out of his poker chips, but he could not deny a certain fascination with her. _She's a character that's for sure._ A sort of kindred spirit as well, but Spike cut off that train of thought with a quick refresher course on his rules.

"Stop scowling," she interrupted his thoughts jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow a little harder than was strictly necessary, "You look miserable. What do you have to be so miserable about?"

Spike fixed her with a hard glare, but didn't answer, and Faye laughed a little nervously.

"Ok, ok, maybe I don't want you to answer that, but… just look around! This place is incredible. People are smiling, they're dancing, they're eating good food. They're happy!"

"You can't really believe that Faye. All this pointless wealth, they're just pandering to their neighbor trying to climb the social ladder. They're hollow and vain, not happy. And this has never been the world I wanted to belong to. I'm here, but I'm not going to pretend to be someone I'm not."

It was the truth too. Sure Spike had been envious of their material wealth, the easy way which everything seemed to fall into their laps, but he had never been the one with dreams of riches untold. Maybe 4 course meals for the rest of his life wouldn't be half bad, but he didn't need a lot. He had been pretty happy for a short while living above Annie's liquor store, stealing short interludes with Julia, never worrying about money, but never living in excess either. Spike was a simple man at heart, wishing for the moon and more had always been more Faye's speed.

Faye took a moment to digest his words, but then it seemed like she decided she didn't want to deal with them, so she adopted a teasing tone sighing heavily for exaggerated effect,

"I guess it was too much to ask for you to enjoy yourself. At least you have a beautiful woman on your arm," and she waggled her eyebrows at him.

"Tch, where? Who says?"

"For your information, Jet did. Right before we left, he said, 'Faye, you look stunning', how about that?"

"Old geezer has always been a flatterer."

"Well if I can't convince you of _my_ good looks, then you'll just have to be my arm candy instead. That suit looks very good on you Spike."

Faye elbowed him in the ribs again catching Spike off guard in the wake of such a rare compliment, and this time he let out a little 'whuff' of air half in surprise, half in pain.

Despite that, he was just getting comfortable with the idea of being Faye's arm candy when her shriek and sudden disengagement from his elbow signaled that Prince Charming had made his entrance. Spike tried not to think about the fading warmth at his side that she had left in her wake.

Quite a bit later at the party, Spike had found a good hiding place. Not really a hiding place, he could see and hear the party goers through a set of glass doors perfectly clearly, but this smaller balcony had no decorative lamps or over attentive wait staff. Essentially Spike had found a place to bring his plates, multiple, stacked high with food and hors devours from the buffet table, eat and smoke in silence. He had easily snatched a bottle of champagne from a distracted server and was leaning over the side of the balcony on his elbows with the now nearly empty bottle at his left. Predictably Faye had latched herself onto Ben as soon as she set eyes on him, leaving Spike feeling a bit like chopped liver. Spike excused himself fairly quickly after that, holding back a gag at the sheer _corniness_ of Ben's flattery.

"Faye you look like a glass of champagne that has been poured into that dress. Absolutely breathtaking."

And Faye was eating it up too, clinging to him, giggling hopelessly.

Spike almost felt remorse for the way he had brushed off Ben's little cousin, she was decent looking, not as young as he was expecting which was nice, a little boring maybe, but seemed like a good kid undeserving of the bristly treatment she got from him.

Spike was on maybe his fifth cigarette, seriously considering climbing down the trellis of vines attached to the side of the building when he heard the doors open behind him, letting sounds of music and laughter leak out. Slightly dulled though his senses were from a hearty champagne buzz, Spike knew immediately it wasn't Faye. It was clearly a man's footsteps and they were alone, the door closed after them and the sounds from the party grew dimmer once again.

It was Ben, _of course who else would it be_ , and he settled an easy distance apart from Spike, mirroring his posture leaning over the edge of the balcony railing.

Ben inhaled deeply and exhaled with a loud sigh, Spike spared him the barest of glances out of the corner of his eye, Ben was looking up at the stars, seemingly just getting some fresh air.

"I'm not sure I'm surprised, but I had hoped that you would perhaps show a little more consideration for my cousin."

Spike couldn't really care less but he apologized gruffly anyway, "I'm going to be leaving soon anyhow, tell her I'm sorry."

Ben smirked slightly, "Yes well, I can't really say I'm all that disappointed either. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had seen my little cousin go off with a former Red Dragon."

Spike didn't grace Ben with the reaction Spike was sure he was hoping for, instead just slyly sliding his eyes over to take in Ben's body language. The Dragons were gone, but nothing exists in a vacuum, and Spike had no doubt that some other organization had stepped in to fill that void. _Just how does Ben make all this money anyway?_ Spike wondered, not for the first time, but with more suspicion behind it now.

"So, should I be concerned for Faye getting herself involved with you?"

Ben actually laughed.

"No, no, nothing like that. Mars is a small planet. I've lived here my whole life and done business with enough of the right kind, or I suppose the wrong kind of people, to know who you are. Doing high profile business like I do you inevitably meet a few unsavory characters, but I assure you my company is on the level. I didn't mean to imply anything other than I know who you are Spike Spiegel. Most anyone on Mars who pays attention should at least know your name. You really think that after nearly single handedly taking down the last of one of the most feared Syndicates in the known universe that the people of Mars wouldn't know you? It was on the news for quite a few months."

Spike was beginning to get uncomfortable. He had never thought of it that way, like he deserved recognition or thanks. That was the furthest thing from his mind when he went to the Church that day. He covered his unease with flippancy,

"Well shit. Guess I should have been trying to get free stuff with my celebrity status. You think it would still work?"

Ben smirked but did not continue the conversation.

Spike turned around so that he was leaning backward on the railing, looking in at the party. His eyes found Faye almost immediately. She was laughing casually with a glass of champagne in her hand. Ben had made her happy in a way that Spike never could. He tore his gaze away and tried to think of something else, _let's see how well Prince Charming does on his feet._

"So since I'm supposed to be playing the big brother character, I guess I have to ask you. What are your intentions toward our dear Faye? You say you're on the level but you have all this money and she's never mentioned anything about how you make it. I lived on Mars my whole life too, I know you don't just make this kind of green in this city without selling a little bit of your soul on the way, unless you're born into it, and you don't quite strike me as the silver spoon type. So what's your deal huh?"

Ben skillfully avoided Spike's real questions and responded only to the first part, rolling the first three words on his tongue like he was trying them on,

" _Supposed to be_ playing the big brother… So my fears weren't quite as unfounded as Faye would have me believe after all?"

Oh Spike could work with jealousy, _maybe I'll get some fun out of this party yet._ He tried not to sound as smug as he felt,

"Yeah, Faye and me, _not_ brother and sister. Not even close."

But to Spike's disappointment, instead of rising to his taunt Ben just narrowed his eyes and replied,

"And? What would you have me do with that information. I can see perhaps you had hoped for some kind of confrontation from me this evening, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you."

Spike wanted to smack himself, letting his eyes widen and show Ben how close he had come to the truth; Ben smiled an infuriating Prince Charming smile and continued,

"You want me to ban Faye from seeing you? You want me to scream and yell about how I think it's inappropriate for her to live with two men? You really think that that would drive her to me? No, no I think you've done a great job of that yourself, without me having to lift a finger."

Ben actually put his hand on Spike's shoulder in a pseudo brotherly gesture. Spike jerked out of Ben's grasp almost immediately earning a chuckle from the other man.

"Have a good evening Spike. Just say the word to any of my staff and they will arrange for your transportation back to the Bebop. If I might dare to be so forward, I'm going to say that Faye will be spending the night here. With me. Enjoy the party."

And he left.

Spike had lost track of Faye amongst the crowds in his distraction and anger. He wanted nothing more than to storm out right now, dragging her with him but that would be giving the bastard Ben too much power. No what Spike needed was another cigarette, another mental review of his rules, and a couple deep breaths. He released the balcony railing from his white knuckled grip of ill concealed anger and sighed, returning to the pose he had adopted before Ben had ruined his calm.

 _None of this matters because I'm not really close to Faye anyway. I don't care what trouble she gets herself in. I don't care that this guy seems fishy, I don't care that he's purposely baiting me. She doesn't need me to save her. She's a grown woman who makes her own damn choices and I'm not her knight in shining armor. Never have been, never will be. No she found her own Prince Charming, but that's fine because I'm not jealous._

Then that was all almost immediately blown to shit when, for the second time that evening, Spike heard the glass doors open and the party sounds get momentarily louder before it closed again. This time the sharp click of high heels told Spike it was a woman.

"Hey, here you are," Faye's voice called out to him. _Of course it's her._ Spike would have almost preferred the boring cousin in this particular moment.

"Is this where you've been hiding all night? I missed you, some of these rich people are so ridiculous I was looking for you to laugh at them with me, but you were never there."

He could tell she was buzzed with the easy way she was speaking to him. There was an openness to her that was different even from her shy attempts over breakfast a few days ago, bolstered as it was by a little liquid courage.

Something broke in Spike's brain then, perhaps more affected by the champagne than he thought he was. He didn't have time to deny to himself the ego boost that had coursed through his body at the idea, that despite her easy smiles and Ben's smooth self-confidence, there was something Faye was looking for that (at least for now) only Spike could give her. He crossed the space between them in a few powerful long strides and grabbed Faye's hands in his, fixing her with the same intense stare he had when he had told her about his eyes so long ago. She looked at him with the same confusion and apprehension as back then too.

"I'm collecting my payment now. Leave with me. Let's go somewhere, we don't have to go back to the Bebop yet if you don't want to, but this guy is fishy Faye. Please just trust me on this. And if you don't well then too bad, you have to anyway because you said you would do anything."

Spike could have guessed she wouldn't take that well. She yanked her hands away from his, "Spike come on. Don't get jealous on me now. I don't appreciate it, and I told you as much already. You don't own me."

"Yeah ok, but I don't care about that at the moment. Ben came out here trying to get into some dick measuring contest with me taunting me saying I need to find my own ride because you're going to stay the night with him. Does that sound like a guy who really respects you either?"

Unfortunately she was a little too far gone to see the (semi-dubious) logic in Spike's words.

"And so what, you thought you'd win the dick measuring contest by stealing me away right from under his nose? Nice try making it sound like you actually care about me though."

Ok maybe he was conveniently forgetting to mention his taunts to Ben, but Spike's own tongue had been loosened by the whole bottle of champagne he had polished off, and his gut was telling him that Ben was hiding something.

"Goddamnit I _do_ care about you Faye. Can't you hear that's what I'm trying to say? I do, and this guy doesn't. He's up to something. He knows I used to be a Red Dragon, he talked about you like you were a fucking prize to be won, slimy shitball, talking about me 'driving' you to him, I've never once thought of you that way. You have to know that."

 _Whoa what the fuck? Where did that come from?_

Spike definitely hadn't planned on saying that much when he opened his mouth. It hadn't come in a moment of clarity. It wasn't like a light shone down and suddenly he understood. It wasn't a dramatic movie moment. But Spike realized it was true. He did care about Faye as much as he had tried not to. He wasn't sure what exactly the limits were on this affection he felt for her, or when exactly it had started, but yeah suddenly the idea of her spending the night with that creepy wannabe Prince Charming was nearly unbearable. He cringed and turned away from her, considering, for what seemed like the millionth time that evening, leaping off the balcony and fleeing this godforsaken party.

He was prepared for her shrieks of anger, but when he finally turned to face her again, Faye looked like a deer in the headlights, face caught halfway between anger and like she had seen a ghost.

There were a lot of things Spike thought he might want to ask her in that moment, but he wasn't sure if he was prepared for the answers, so he settled on,

"So will you come with me?"

She seems to come back to herself a little bit then because she hugs her torso like she's caught a chill and makes eye contact. All of her self-righteous fury has dissipated into something much sadder.

"You lunkhead. Saying just what I want to hear, only you're a little too late."

Spike tries not to let those two words rattle around in his brain, tries not to think of Julia, _too late too late too late always too late coward coward coward never take what you want until it's too late_ , and pushes through the rejection. He doesn't beg. Spike doesn't beg, not for his life, not for anything.

He steels himself over, it's easy with his handy rules in his wheelhouse, he hadn't even meant for this to happen anyway, and defaults back to cool and detached. Just like the last two minutes never happened.

"Well you have a party to get back to, don't you? I think I've fulfilled my half of the bargain. I'll see you at home. Or maybe I won't, doesn't matter either way. See ya Faye," and he shoves his hands in his pockets in a familiar pose and brushes past her without a second glance.

One of her small, but surprisingly strong hands darts out to grab the back of his jacket before he gets too far away. In a voice so quiet Spike almost can't hear her over the din of the party she says,

"Can you prove it to me? That you really care? That this isn't just about some fucked up territorial pissing contest?"

Spike thinks she deserves honesty, after everything he's put her through, it's easier because he isn't looking at her. He really didn't mean to semi confess to her tonight. He wasn't even sure what the fuck he had just admitted to or how he really felt about it yet. Just a few days ago Spike had been convinced that his anger regarding Faye's cold shoulder was because he cruelly wanted her to be hung up on him forever. That was quite a bit different from 'I care for you.' _Jesus what have I done, there's no going back from this._ If he took one careless misstep with Faye's heart now, after he had so thoroughly stomped on her previous attempts, Faye would surely leave for good and the little life they had created on the Bebop with Jet would disappear forever. Despite all of his rules to the contrary, Spike found that he would care if that happened. That he would feel guilty about spoiling the only good thing in Faye's life. In both their lives.

"I'm not sure I can promise that right now… but I think you can do better than Prince Charming."

It isn't the answer she was hoping for, Spike can tell because she sighs and lets go of his jacket, but she surprises him once more.

"Oh yeah? And that's you is it? Mr. tiger cat who hasn't caused me anything but trouble and heart ache since day one?" Then more to herself she mutters, "Jesus, why do I still let myself get jerked around by you…" before another 180 in attitude, "Alright then cowboy. I'm all dressed up suddenly with nowhere to be and the night is young. Care to hit the casino on the way home?"

Despite everything Spike meets her eyes and the sadness is still there but it's dimmed and blended into a deceptively light hearted challenge. Despite the pressure he feels, _my future with her, at least partially, rides on what I decide to do right now_ , he smiles. It's an honest smile. _She chose me_. It might not last, but in this moment, Faye had chosen him over Ben. Despite the stupid rules, despite still feeling like a lifeless shell, if someone as vibrant and beautiful as Faye had chosen him maybe things weren't so hopeless. The fact that it was Faye, who had seen him at what truly was his worst, and she had still seen enough in him to give him this chance was not lost on him either. Maybe it was underhanded, but Spike knows it's the same roguish smile she had told him just a few days ago that, 'could make any woman with two eyes' swoon.

"Lead the way Romani."

* * *

I'm afraid I may not deserve your praise on characterization on this one, I tried really hard to keep Spike somewhat in character, but I still think I ended up moving things too fast. *Sigh* I fell victim to the "But I just want them to be together!" feeling when I thought about having to write another chapter of them tip toeing around each other. But that's probably what'll happen anyway because in spite of my fangirl desire to write them finally fucking being together I still don't think they would just fall into things so easily. Doesn't mean I can't try to fit in some good old fashioned fluff along the way.

Anyways, I know I took a bit longer with this update and I'm afraid it'll probably be a while for the next one too. I am consistently underestimating how much work I have for school work and work work and procrastinating, a deadly combination. This is like my therapy ha.

Please let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Happy New Year!

I know some of you have been waiting patiently for this, so here you go! I feel the need to clarify that the only person writing and editing these chapters is me, sometimes I read it over and over again until I can't even tell if it makes sense anymore and just don't post because I'm not happy with it. This time around I listened to Miles Davis to get in the mood to write when I was frustrated. I'm still kind of disappointed in myself that I couldn't hold out a little longer with the build up, Spike is such a hard character to get a grasp of, but I sincerely hope you enjoy! Please read and review :)

EDIT: Also shit, I'm sorry to anyone who snapped up the new chapter right away, I should have put here, there is a slight trigger warning for brief discussion of attempted rape. There is hardly any detail, but protect yourself and dm me I can maybe send you an edited version without it if you'd still like to read!

* * *

Spike had crossed a boundary tonight, and that became utterly clear long before they ever actually made it to the casino.

The carefree teasing attitude that Faye had adopted on the way in to the party seemed like a distant dream. No more casual touches and fleeting glances; instead she only regarded him with the barest of smirks out of the corner of her eye.

 _She's looking to me to take the lead on this._

Spike's realization made him feel stupid and rusty at dealing with women. Of course she would be taking her cues from him, the metaphorical ball had been firmly in his court ever since he had left the Bebop looking for Vicious over a year ago now. And he hadn't exactly handled the situation delicately… he chose avenging Julia over a living woman who had all but laid herself bare before him. Faye trusted him to have her back on jobs, but not with her heart. That was something he would have to earn back. Spike wasn't sure how he was going to go about it, especially since he was still so shocked at himself for admitting that he wanted that trust to begin with. There went his rule book just right out the window. He also had a sneaking suspicion that she was enjoying watching him so utterly out of his element; it was still Faye after all, Spike could allow her a little smugness.

They hadn't talked much on the way out of the party, managing to sneak out without seeing Ben, which surprised Spike. He was certain Faye would want to at least say goodbye, but she just breezed right out the front door without looking back.

Once they had squeezed back into the RedTail together, it was a different story. All of that confidence seemed to fade away, and she barely risked a few sidelong glances at him. She managed to pilot them to a smallish casino without incident, she probably had the address of every casino on Mars memorized. This time when Spike disembarked first, he turned around offering his hand to help her climb down, handicapped as she was in the tight dress and heels.

She looked up from her feet in surprise when Spike's large hand darted in front of her face, but she took it gratefully, though her grip didn't linger.

He automatically dug into his suit jacket pocket, (This is Ben's suit, he dimly remembered) for his pack of cigarettes. He tapped lightly on the bottom of the pack and fished out two, placing one indelicately between his lips before offering the second to Faye. One of her eyebrows rose,

"Spike Spiegel being generous with his cigarettes? Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Spike?"

"Just take it woman. You steal 'em all the time anyways, might as well just head you off at the pass. Quick before I change my mind."

She just grinned and snatched it away, placing it in her mouth, Spike could see the filter was already stained with her lipstick when he leaned forward to offer her a light as well. This offer she took gracefully, giving him a sultry, if somewhat incredulous, look through her long eyelashes as she leaned in to meet him halfway.

This was more familiar territory. Who could count how many nights they had shared silence out on the deck of the Bebop or lazily on the couch, smoking? Only this time Spike observed her more unabashedly than ever before. A thought occurred to him that might get him in trouble, but he voiced it anyway.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

She raised her eyebrows again. _They're going to get stuck there someday if she keeps doing that_ , Spike mused.

"Seeing as I don't think you have, ever, sure I suppose I can entertain it just this once," her tone was joking, but she narrowed her eyes in suspicion all the same.

"Why do you dress… the way you do? I mean beyond being a honey trap for jobs and free drinks." After a particularly harsh glare from Faye, Spike back tracked slightly, "Don't get me wrong I'm not necessarily complaining," and he shoots her a brief lecherous grin, "But aren't you worried some creep is going to catch you off guard someday and well..."

Faye's fury calmed into seeming bemused pity, "Typical man. You don't understand, if some creep wants to rape me, yeah if you're going to bring it up have the balls to say the word, he's going to do it no matter what I'm wearing. Well, maybe not me particularly because I'd shoot his dick off before it got that far…" she seemed to sink inward for a moment and shivered subconsciously.

 _Shit, I didn't think I'd step in it that badly. Has something already happened…?_

A wave of rage and sadness swept through him quite unexpectedly.

"Faye?" he said her name almost hesitantly.

"No I'm fine," she barked and her walls were back up. Before she could continue with her tongue lashing, Spike managed to make her eyebrows shoot up once again, when he swiftly removed his jacket (Ben's, he conceded mentally with a grumble) and placed it over Faye's shoulders. After her initial surprise she clenched her jaw, but her eyes seemed to soften as she took a lengthy drag on her cigarette.

When he didn't immediately explain his actions, Faye shot him another searching look. Spike shrugged and replied,

"One result of you showing so much skin is I can always tell when you're cold."

She glared and Spike realized his misstep, "Not like that, Jesus. Your arms are covered in goosebumps. C'mon, let's just get inside. Are you going to lose all my money or aren't you?"

Faye stomped out her cigarette butt and Spike followed suit. She spared him one glance over her shoulder before she took off down the walkway to the casino's entrance at a fast pace. Spike sighed to himself with a small smirk before he followed in his loping long legged gait a few paces behind.

To his surprise Faye, made a beeline for the casino's small lounge and bar instead of the blackjack tables. She chose a secluded table with comfy looking burgundy loveseat and matching armchair, and flopped down. She propped her legs up across from her, effectively stretching out and taking up the whole of loveseat. She wrapped herself up in the jacket Spike had given her more tightly, then raised her arm to signal a server. When Spike took a seat at the open armchair a youngish woman with strawberry blonde hair wearing the typical server's uniform of white shirt and black pants, approached and asked pleasantly,

"Good evening. What can I get started for you? Just drinks or are we thinking about food too?"

Faye answered before Spike could get a word out, "House whiskey, just bring us a bottle and some glasses," as an afterthought, "Please."

The server was obviously experienced because she didn't bat an eye before she looked over to Spike with an expectant look, "Anything else sir?"

He just smirked, "Whiskey'll be fine for me. Just bring the _lady_ here what she wants."

Faye looked like anything but a lady at the moment, sprawled out in a casino lounge at nearly midnight with one hand pinching the bridge of her nose. The unladylike image was compounded when she let out a loud snort and replied,

"Yes and the _gentleman_ will be footing the bill, so you can tell Bucky not to call the bossman. Don't worry I'm not going to dine and dash again, Spike's good for whatever we owe. Aren't you?"

She directed the last two words to Spike in a sugary sweet voice, batting her eyelashes for effect. This time the server stiffened slightly, but left with a little bow, and a, "Yes, Ms. Valentine," returning a few minutes later with the bottle and glasses.

Once the server left Faye wasted no time in pouring herself a quick two fingers, downing it immediately and then pouring herself another. All before she graciously poured a glass for Spike as well.

He wasn't sure if he should be offended that she seemed not to want to be sober in his presence. _Heh, a little liquid courage never hurt anyone_ , Spike thought, quite incorrectly, but that didn't really matter at the moment. He downed his own glass without breaking eye contact with Faye.

"So, dining and dashing, huh? Even _I_ haven't stooped that low, and I am usually the go-to guy for moral depravity. What are we, returning to the scene of the crime? The servers even have your name on file, and who's Bucky?" he teased.

"Oh please don't even try to get the moral high ground with me Mr. ex-mafia man. I was hungry, I had just lost a bet, I don't want to explain myself to you," then she shrugged, exhaling to calm herself, "Bucky is the barkeep. He's decent people, but he told me that I shouldn't show my face here until things 'cooled off.' It's been a couple months but I don't really feel like going to the casino Ben's family owns and us showing up on all the security footage."

"So that's how he has so much money," Spike mused.

"Yeah and look at me sitting here with some low life in a borrowed suit instead of hamming it up with the socialites, what was I thinking?"

"Yeah, what _were_ you thinking Faye?"

He'd meant the question to be rhetorical but the liquid courage seemed to be kicking in because she fixed him with a contemplative, if slightly unfocused, gaze and actually answered.

"You've never asked anything from me so sincerely before. I wanted to see where this would go."

Spike swallowed thickly, but before he could think of how to reply Faye cut him off.

"Okay, my turn."

"Your turn, what?" Spike's brown quirked as he asked.

"My turn to ask a question. It'll be like truth or dare with only truth."

 _Uh-oh_ , the sensible part of Spike's brain had time to think before his mouth moved seemingly on its own,

"Ok, shoot."

"Why'd you waste the favor I owed you on asking me here? The Spike I know would have much preferred me cleaning the Swordfish with nothing but a toothbrush or something."

Even though he was attempting to fight off a blush, Spike couldn't help but chuckle a little. That _had_ been one of the things he had fantasized about just a few hours earlier.

"You know, the Spike I know would have liked that too."

"So," she prompted him after his non-answer, "What changed?"

He'd have to tread lightly. He still wasn't sure how to answer that question even for himself.

"It probably happened a while ago, without me noticing," he grumbled acquiescing only slightly to her curiosity. Spike knew enough about women to know that, 'Fuck if I know,' while perhaps the most honest answer at the moment, was probably not what she wanted to hear.

"Well _that_ I believe. You're so perceptive about most things, but you're really dense too, you know that?"

"Not dense, just stubborn," he replied jutting his chin out slightly.

"Oh yeah, that too," Faye lifted her drink as if in a toast and sipped with a wide grin.

He tried to change tactics, "So, that was like three questions. Is it my turn now?"

"No, that was one main question with one follow up question. And don't think I haven't noticed you still didn't really answer. _And_ , I needed to pay you back for that question out in the parking lot."

"Well sorry about that. Again," he couldn't help rolling his eyes, apologies never were his strong suit.

"Ok Cowboy, buckle up. Here's story time and you don't even need to ask because I'm angry and buzzed enough that you're going to listen whether you want to or not,"

She gave herself a moment and slammed back the rest of her current glass of whiskey, wiping off her mouth with the back of her hand before she continued. She placed the empty glass on the small round table between them and reclined once more, closing her eyes.

"I saw the look in your eyes back there. It changed when you thought I had been raped. I'm not telling this to make you pity me. Maybe I'm telling you to make you feel guilty, I'm not above that I guess because it still pisses me off. But you saved me again, without even meaning to, not that any time you have you really meant to, I was always more incidental to you I think. But now I'm off track. Vincent had me. I was drugged, totally incapacitated and he was about this close, to being raped by the creep. He got some communication that you had been making trouble for his plans and decided that was more important. He just left me there and I picked myself up and made my way back to the Bebop a couple hours later. None of you had any idea and I liked it better that way."

Spike not for the first time that evening, had no idea how to respond. He wouldn't apologize again, that obviously was not what she needed or wanted from him.

 _Maybe I've misunderstood something here... this isn't a date, this is an inquisition. I was stupid to think this would go any other way._

Faye was going to make him answer for all the ways he had failed her in the past.

 _Well I'm going to get some of my own goddamn answers too._

"Why do you get to be angry at me about that? Maybe I am just a stupid man, but how was I supposed to know or do anything if you didn't tell us?"

Faye snorted and sat up, fixing him with what must have been the 50th angry glare of the evening.

"Yeah ok tell you and then what? Get my heart smashed to pieces yet again when you revealed just how little you cared? You still don't get it. I don't wish you had burst through the door and carried me to safety like some white knight, just wished you cared. I didn't have anyone or anywhere to belong, you were guys were the closest things I had to friends and you still barely treated me better than dirt. Can't you see how that would trash a girl's self esteem?"

"You don't get to cop out now Valentine. You wanted much more than that from me, even I, Mr. Dense and Stubborn could see that. I didn't want to over step and get your hopes up only to disappoint you."

Faye almost dropped the whisky bottle mid-pour.

"So you did - You would have cared if you screwed up and I left... You're not totally off the hook yet but… it's a start."

 _Women. You never fucking can tell what it will be that gets through their thick skulls._

Spike sighed to himself, thanking his lucky stars he finally seemed to have said the right thing.

"Yes Faye, as much as I tried to deny it, you've weaseled your way into my life," but the sarcasm was lacking it's usual edge.

"But in the end you still chose Julia…"

Spike knew he was in trouble again with the way she uttered Julia's name, with such wistful sadness.

"Well since we are sitting across from each other right now, I'll remind you that it turned out not the be the end," before she could cut him off Spike continued, speaking slightly louder to drown out her objection, "Yes maybe that was my plan at the time. I tried to tell you the best way I knew how. There was no way I could ever hope to truly live in the present with the past playing out in one eye, still haunting me. I had to choose her. I had to see for myself if this was all just a dream…"

"And if I had any self-respect I'd tell you to shove it and go back to my party with, what did you call him, Prince Charming."

"But you didn't tell me to shove it. You saved my life. I never thanked you. I never thought mine was a live worth saving, worth thanking you for saving. I'm still not sure I believe it myself, but cheers to _you_ being _my_ white knight I guess."

Faye's lips curled into a smile outwardly against her will, but Spike saw it. She looked mischievous and troublesome and yet vulnerable and oh so beautiful. He felt emboldened by that slight quirk at the corner of her mouth. Spike put down his glass and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees clasping his hands together.

"Is it alright if I kiss you?"

"What?!"

Faye reeled forward, the whites of her eyes wide and luminous.

"I want to kiss you now. Can I?"

Faye suddenly seemed very shy, pulling her chin in to her chest and twirling a strand of hair before she tucked it behind an ear, but her voice was attempting to remain cocky and unaffected.

"I never pegged you as being the kind of guy who asks first."

Spike chuckled before he reached out to take her hand in his, carefully tracing her delicate fingers with his too large callused ones.

"You know Valentine, you have all these ideas about me in your head, I think I'm going to enjoy proving them all wrong."

His hand ghosted up the length of her arm ending at her ear where he traced the way Faye had tucked her hair there just moments before. She leaned into his touch and her eyelids fluttered closed seemingly against her better judgement, because she also let out a long exasperated sigh.

Suddenly Spike's throat felt very dry as he thought about just how long it had been since he had slept with a woman. Since he had _wanted_ to sleep with one. And this wasn't just any woman, this was Faye, veritable sex bomb and one of his few friends. Though he probably wouldn't have admitted to thinking about her that way before a few days ago. Wasn't that the crux of this whole situation?

Spike is saved the embarrassment of this paralyzation when a loud buzzing from Faye's clutch purse begins. She opens her eyes shooting him an apologetic look before she grabs it, fumbling slightly, to see who's calling.

When she groans and says, "Hang on it's Ben," Spike tries, unsuccessfully, not to let himself gloat at the way she answers so reluctantly. Faye got out of her seat and meandered maybe five steps away to take the call with a semblance of privacy, but Spike wasn't really listening.

 _Two days ago she was sprinting across the Bebop to take this guy's call. Guess I still got it._

He closed his eyes and folded his arms behind his head, leaning back slightly feeling like he had the evening pretty much in the bag. He was rather rudely awakened by the feeling of whisky splashing in his face.

He spluttered and wiped off his face, yelping, "Jesus what was that for?"

Opening his eyes now that they were dried off, Spike took in Faye looming as best she could above him with a tick forming at her right temple.

"You asshole!" she answered indignantly.

"What did I do now woman?" Spike whined, trying to wipe the sticky alcohol off his hands.

"Ben told me… You were trying to play it to me like you were rescuing me from some scummy weirdo… when really you just tried to bait him into an argument and then got angry when you lost! Ben told me you said something about us not being like brother and sister grinning like you fucking had an ace in the hole. He told me he kept his cool and just offered you a ride back to the Bebop, and you decided to try to one up him by stealing me away. You told me you've never thought of me of an object to be won, but that's exactly what you did! What am I to you, just some stupid shrew you keep around to boost your ego when you need it? I knew it, I fucking knew this was some fucking stupid pissing contest. Goddamn you Spike."

Faye made to grab for her purse, and to his horror Spike saw tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes. Angry Faye he could deal with, but crying Faye?

 _Should have known that escape from Prince Charming was too easy. Bastard was probably planning this as soon as he saw us leave._

Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her down a hallway, the opposite direction of the front entrance, he did not want to have to call Jet to pick him up if Faye stranded him here.

"Let go of me you Bastard!" Faye was clawing at the vice grip Spike had on her wrist, spitting and sputtering like an enraged stray cat. But Spike didn't let go, he wasn't sure when exactly it had been triggered, but his own not inconsiderable temper had been raised.

Once they were a good 15 feet down the hallway, Spike spun her out of his grasp and she stumbled, rubbing at her wrist where he had touched her like she had been burned. But he still didn't let her get away. He used his height to back her up against the wall glaring down at her.

"So it's my turn for this 20 questions or whatever the fuck we were playing right? Why do you automatically trust this guy over me? You've known me for what almost 4 years, and it's this inner battle of, 'Oh Spike is such a scoundrel, I couldn't possibly take a chance with him,' but within three days of knowing Prince Charming you'd take his word over mine? What the hell? Am I really so untrustworthy?"

"What am I supposed to think Spike? You haven't ever 'entertained,' my _silly infatuation_ with you until tonight. After three years of putting me down and rejecting me…" she lost some of her steam and the tears threatened to return to her eyes, "At least Ben admits that he wants me, that he likes me."

"I want you. You hear me. _I_ do. _Me._ You really believe that I've known you and that goddamn loud mouth of yours and never once thought about fucking you until you'd shut the hell up-"

"But if that's all you want I'm not sure - I mean God, you think you're alone? I'd love to wipe that stupid smirk off your face the best way I know how, but we live together. We work together. I depend on you for life or death shit. I can't be fucking you one minute and second guessing myself to death the next. Ben is easy, 'complicated,' has your picture next to it in the dictionary Spike."

"You gotta throw me a bone Faye. I've just figured out that I want to be alive at all. I don't think you really want to be my reason for living do you? That seems like a lot of pressure to me. Give me a little more time. I'm a stupid man remember?"

Spike pushed away from her and leaned against the opposite wall in the hallway crossing his arms, taking a moment to cool off. He regarded her carefully, she wasn't curling in on herself, and she wasn't hands-on-hips fuming anymore either. A good sign, so he continued,

"Hell, I'm not _that_ complicated Faye. I hope you know that no matter what 'personal' matters we may or may not decide to uh, do, I'll have your back out there. I would never just leave you hanging on the line when it comes to your life. My life may be worth shit, but I'll do my best to protect yours."

 _Shit. How many rules did I just break? Too late now, fuck it._

"That's why you gotta trust me on this. Ben may seem straightforward but my gut says there's something not right there. You gotta trust I have your best interest in mind, ok Romani, can you do that?"

Now Faye had reverted back to the shy body language he recognized only from about two minutes before when Spike was about to kiss her. His face split into a smug-ish grin, he couldn't help it, it was the one she loved anyway.

She tried to save face,

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much at once…"

He interrupted her,

"Do I still get my kiss, or did I blow it?"

"I don't know…" she looked anywhere but at him, but when she finally did meet his eyes she stuttered, "Stop grinning like that."

"Like what Valentine?"

He took one long gangly step and was back at her side, this time hopefully leaning seductively rather than looming ominously. By the blush that colored her cheeks, Spike guessed the former was correct. He didn't stop grinning.

"So Faye," and he grabbed her chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head towards him, "What's the verdict?"

It only took the slightest of nods for Spike to swoop down and kiss her deeply, he didn't do things by halves. He slid one hand back to the nape of her neck by way of caressing her ear, while the other was flat against the wall by her side, effectively trapping her in his arms. Really he just didn't want to press his luck and accidentally put his hand somewhere she deemed it didn't belong yet. His hand on the wall curled into a fist, his own fingernails pushing into his palms in restraint.

She tasted like lipstick and whiskey, but it felt strangely and kind of wonderfully exhilarating to be kissing her. _Her._ Feisty, fast talking, sexy as all hell, formally forbidden territory, Faye. When she seemed to sigh into him, grabbing his lapels and pulling him even closer, something behind Spike's eyes went "kaput" and he felt toe curling warmness form in his belly. A distant but not entirely unfamiliar feeling of desire and being desired in return.

Despite his usual shrewdness, Spike, even before tonight, would grudgingly admit that Faye was one of the few people who could catch him off guard. Hell she could pickpocket him without him noticing sometimes, something a veteran street urchin like Spike was secretly ashamed of.

But none of that compared with the recoil he felt in his gut when she finally pulled away and looked up at him with the cheekiest smeared lipstick smile. _Now who's the schoolgirl Spike-o_ , he chastised himself and resisted literally shaking his head like a dog to return to his senses. He remembered watching the tape, seeing 16 year old Faye cheering her heart out for herself when he looked down at her now, she seemed so enraptured and fresh and beautiful. She was so honest in her affection for him, no sneaking around, no other man who happened to be his best friend; the way she looked and usually acted it was so easy to forget that she was really just a few years out of adolescence. That was what did him in, the kiss was supposed to be flirtatious and ultimately just a challenge for more banter, but she had reduced his brain to mush. _He_ was supposed to be the dominant one here, but her innocent joy at kissing him and being kissed by him was a much better drug than most anything else Spike had sampled and he was quite unexpectedly feeling a little weak at the knees.

Faye's grin grew as she continued to observe his face, Spike internally assented that he probably did look pretty funny. He could feel the lipstick smeared across his own mouth, and he imagined looking up at himself through her eyes, a thoroughly kissed neanderthal version of himself staring dumbly down at her.

"Told you I could shut you up," she said with an insufferable tone of superiority, and she reached up to wipe some of the excess lipstick off of his mouth.

Coming back into his body a little bit, Spike leaned closer to her once again, placing his weight on his forearms flat against the wall, caging her with his body. This time he just huffed and tilted forward to rest his forehead on her shoulder. With pleasure he noted how she shuddered slightly from his hot breath on her neck, before he leaned away completely.

He offered her the crook of his arm, mirroring himself from earlier in the evening, "Come on, I'll escort you to the bathrooms. Don't take this the wrong way, but your makeup could use a little freshening up."

Faye just laughed and gleefully latched on, all distress forgotten, at least for now.

"I'll meet you back in the lounge. Bucky'll have a conniption fit if he thinks I've ditched the bill again. And you may want to stop by a mirror yourself. Red doesn't quite suit your skin tone Spiegel."

She giggled again and patted his shoulder before sauntering away. Spike knew she was overdoing it slightly to give him more of a view, but he wasn't complaining. When she turned the corner and left his sight, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

 _Tonight has been a goddamn roller coaster._

The distressing question, _What now?_ Threatened to rear its head, but Spike tamped that down easily. He was Spike Spiegel after all. Act first ask questions later. After tonight he definitely had enough of questions for a while.

Making his way into the men's room, he finally caught a glimpse of himself and his earlier estimations hadn't been far off. A faded red smear and stupid grin was painted across his face and he thought, _This woman is going to be the death of me._

But Spike had died for a woman before, so he was going ensure he at least enjoyed the ride this time. The way he saw it, now that he had finally decided to really count himself among the living, the world, hell all of the universe better fucking watch out. Fuck the rules and anyone who got in his way, he promised himself this would be a new era. Stepping out of the bathroom and seeing Faye waiting for him, still draped in the too big suit jacket he had given her, he lasciviously agreed with his earlier assessments.

 _Oh, I'm certainly going to enjoy the ride, she'll make sure of that._


End file.
